The best beaches in Fuerteventura
If the Canaries have one beach island, it is Fuerteventura. Here the sand is not a hidden cove tucked between cliffs: it is kilometre after kilometre of golden and white sand, with the Sahara so close that it sometimes brings its calima haze, turquoise water and a wind that some curse and others chase from the other side of the world. There are dunes to walk without end, a shallow lagoon for the little ones, a wild cove that almost nobody reaches, and even a black-sand beach that is a slice of geological history. Here are the best ones by type of day and how to choose yours.
Dunes and endless sand: the Corralejo north
The island's postcard image is up north. The Grandes Playas de Corralejo are several kilometres of pale sand and turquoise water right beside the Dunes Natural Park, a sea of sand that looks like a desert leaning out over the Atlantic, with the island of Lobos and Lanzarote in the background. It is an open, wide beach, with plenty of room to walk for hours or find your own corner far from the next person. Right opposite, a short boat trip from the harbour, the islet of Isla de Lobos hides coves of crystal-clear water such as El Puertito: a half-day plan well worth it, but mind the paperwork. To set foot on Lobos you need a free, compulsory access permit requested online on the Cabildo website: a quota of only 200 people per shift and a maximum of four hours on the islet. Spots vanish fast and only open a few days ahead, so book it as early as you can; it is separate from the boat ticket.
A local tip: it is a protected Natural Park, so you can only park in the designated areas beside the FV-1 road; leaving the car on the sand or the dunes is banned and fined. Arrive early in high season and expect a good walk down to the shore.
The lagoon that comes and goes: Sotavento
To the south, in Jandía, lies the most special of all: Playa de Sotavento, some nine kilometres of golden sand that carry real weight among wind lovers. Its great secret is a lagoon that appears and disappears with the tide, a mirror of shallow, warm water ideal for children and for the first steps on a board. The Windsurfing and Kitesurfing World Championship has been held here since 1986, filling the sky with colourful sails every late July.
Nearby lies Costa Calma, more sheltered and with services right by the sand, a good base if you travel with family. The trick with Sotavento is simple: the lagoon only forms at low tide, so check the tide tables before you go. To watch the riders fly, on the other hand, any windy afternoon will do.
Wild beaches: Cofete, to lose yourself
The most legendary and least tamed is Playa de Cofete, in the far southwest: more than ten kilometres of virgin sand at the foot of the Jandía massif, with barely a building in sight. You reach it by a dirt track of some twenty kilometres, narrow and winding, that even at a good pace takes no less than three quarters of an hour, so go slowly, ideally in a high car. One key detail: most rental companies forbid driving on unpaved tracks, and if you get a puncture or break something there, the insurance covers neither the damage nor the tow. Check your contract; if you would rather not risk the car, a bus runs up from Morro Jable for around nine euros each way. The reward is an overwhelming landscape, among the wildest in the Canaries, but there is nothing here: no beach bar, no lifeguard, no shade. Bring plenty of water, food and sun protection, and plan for the whole day.
And a warning that is no exaggeration: at Cofete the sea breaks hard and the rip currents are genuinely dangerous. Only go in when the sea is calm, where it is shallow, and never alone or far from the shore. It is a place to contemplate and walk more than to swim. We explain why these currents are so treacherous in our guide to currents and undertow in the Canaries.
Calm waters: El Cotillo and La Concha
It is not all wind and swell. In the northwest, next to the fishing village of El Cotillo, are Los Lagos: a series of pools and lagoons of clear, calm water that barriers of volcanic rock protect from the open sea. It is the island's best plan for a quiet swim, snorkelling and bringing the children, with a village feel. That said, being tucked away they have no permanent lifeguard, so keep an eye on the little ones. The nearby Playa de la Concha, a crescent-shaped bay embraced by volcanic formations, rounds off the area with white sand and transparent water. North of the village, on the other hand, the beaches open onto the swell and fill with surfers.
On the Jandía coast, near Morro Jable, Playa de Butihondo and neighbouring Esmeralda offer golden sand and sheltered waters, good for a long swim away from the crowds.
Black sand: Ajuy, a journey to the origin
For something completely different, cross to the west coast and go down to Playa de Ajuy. Here the sand is black and volcanic, framed by dark cliffs unlike anything else on the island. A short, well-kept path climbs from the beach along the cliff edge to the Ajuy caves, sea grottoes carved by the sea into the ancient rock. More than a beach for lying in the sun, it is an excursion with views, geological history and a sunset to remember. Swimming here is a serious matter: being on the west coast, the swell hits hard and the currents turn treacherous the moment you move away from the shore, so it is almost better to wet your feet and little more. Wear comfortable footwear for the path.
Did you know? The Ajuy cliffs hold the oldest rocks in all the Canaries. They are part of the so-called Basal Complex, fragments of ancient oceanic crust that formed thousands of metres deep on the sea floor and that geological processes lifted above the surface tens of millions of years ago. They are walls far older than the volcanoes that shaped the island: a piece of Earth that predates the archipelago as we know it.
How to choose your beach (and a few tips)
North or south. The north (Corralejo, El Cotillo) brings together the dunes, the calm lagoons of Los Lagos and the village feel; the south (Sotavento, Costa Calma, Jandía) is the kingdom of wind and endless sand. With children, go for the lagoons of El Cotillo or for Sotavento at low tide; to walk and disconnect, the Grandes Playas or Cofete.
How to get there. By car you reach almost all of them; to Cofete only by dirt track (and with the rental insurance in mind). The bus network covers the main hubs: check routes and timetables on the official website of Tiadhe, Fuerteventura's public transport company.
Check it before you set off. Many of these beaches have a live camera: one glance tells you how the sea, the wind and the crowds are before you get in the car. The Grandes Playas, for example, can be seen on live webcams.
The wind and tide rule. The wind is good for sports, but on an open beach it whips up sand and cools you down: look for the sheltered side if you only want to lie down, and at Sotavento remember that the lagoon depends on the tide.
Services and safety. The tourist beaches have toilets, lifeguards and restaurants; the wild ones like Cofete, nothing. The Atlantic is not the Mediterranean: on an open beach the currents and undertow can be strong. Watch the flags and, if in doubt, stay where it is shallow.
At islas24 you have each of these beaches with its location, how to get there and its services. Dunes or lagoon, calm or wild, golden or black: in Fuerteventura the beach is never plan B, it is the reason for the trip.